Abstract

Background: Waist circumference (WC) (abdominal girth), a measure of both subcutaneous and visceral fats, is easily measured and also correlated with body frame size. Waist circumference (WC) and waist–hip ratio (WHR), but not body mass index (BMI), have also been identified as independent predictors of CVD risk, accounting for conventional risk factors in the Framingham risk score model. Aims &
Objective: To compare waist-related anthropometric measures such as waist circumference, waist–height ratio (WHtR), waist–hip ratio (WHR), and body mass index (BMI) as predictors of coronary heart disease (CHD) in women.
Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 88 women aged 40–80 years. Waist circumference, hip circumference, height, weight, age, and other covariates were collected by a questionnaire. The primary end point was incident CHD that was reported by a physician. χ2-Test or Student’s t-test was used for comparison of quantitative data. The significance of the results was determined by 95% CI and a p value < 0.001). The mean WHR was 0.96 ± 0.08 in the study group and 0.78 ± 0.06 in the control group (p < 0.001). The mean WHtR was 0.62 ± 0.07 in the study group and 0.48 ± 0.04 in the control group (p < 0.001). Waist-derived measures were superior to BMI in predicting CHD. The unadjusted area under the ROC curve was 0.008 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.006–0.095) for WHtR, 0.001 (95% CI 0.00–0.002) for WHR, and 1 (95% CI 0.323–1.766) for BMI. Conclusion: Waist-related anthropometric measures are important predictors of CVD risk among middle-aged and older women, as compared to BMI.